When I saw the title for this article it really made me stop and think. Never had it occurred to me that farm vets warranted any more thoughts being spared than anyone else, at Christmas nor any other time. Don’t get me wrong, when you dig your car out of the snow at 2am on Christmas day morning to drive alone on dark uncleared roads (and inevitably Driving Home For Christmas comes on the radio) to attend a calving, which turns into a caesarean section during which the metal surgical instruments are sticking to your wet hands because it is that cold and the only light in the barn goes out with a power cut…it does cross your mind that there might be more comfortable ways to earn a living! 

But for me that sort of thought has always passed faster than a snowflake in a blizzard, replaced with the thought – no, the knowledge – that you have been called out to a genuine emergency, to do a job that you feel absolutely privileged to be doing, for people who usually really appreciate your efforts and who almost undoubtedly work harder than their vets ever will. Farmers. If you’re going to spare a thought for anyone working with animals this Christmas, then let it be farmers. 

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Fed by Farmers

No matter what is on your Christmas dinner table, whether you’re a turkey traditionalist or prefer a nice nut roast (is that a thing?); you can thank farmers for all of it. Unless you wild foraged your entire feast (in which case wow, but really that isn’t going to work for all 67 million of us in the UK), your festive spread would look quite bare if it wasn’t for the farmers who work tirelessly, day in, day out to put food on our tables. And at Christmas time, they can’t just pull on their rudolph onesie and elf slippers, eat Quality Street for breakfast and then get stuck into the wine before dinner. In fact, for livestock farmers especially, Christmastime can be really quite demanding. 

Let it snow! Let it snow! And Let it snow! 

Or not! In fact, while many are dreaming of a white Christmas, for farm vets and farmers this presents an extra challenge. Travelling to farms in winter road conditions, often at night and usually alone, can be daunting; especially for a young vet who maybe doesn’t know the farm or area that well yet; and may not have anyone waiting at home to see them back safely.

For farmers the weather has a huge impact on their workload as frozen pipes, milking equipment and water troughs can take hours of work to sort. And they must be fixed that day to ensure the welfare of their animals. Vehicles and farm equipment don’t always cooperate in this weather. And access to fields can be difficult whether due to rain or snow. Add short daylight hours into the mix and Christmas can be a really challenging time if the weather isn’t in your favour.

8 Maids a-milking

Dairy farmers will always have my utmost respect (as will their cows). Getting up at 4am to do the milking is not a job for just 364 days of the year. No matter if it’s Christmas day and the parlour is frozen solid, those cows need milking. And whilst most dairymen (male or female) would probably be delighted to have 8 maids a-helping them, it is more often a solitary job. Then the cows still need to be fed and bedded. And if there’s snow or flooding, the farm track may need to be cleared to let the tanker in to collect the milk.

Many dairy herds calve all year round to ensure a steady milk supply. So those middle of the night calving checks must go on; despite the risk of meeting the man in the red suit on the way to the shed. As vets we’re only involved when really necessary at Christmastime. And in truly festive spirit, on a dairy farm that is often with new life arriving, usually in a dry and (relatively) warm shed.

While Shepherds Watched…

For sheep farmers there may not be the same early morning milking routine or nighttime calving checks, and almost all sheep will be outdoors at this time of year. However they are not out of sight and out of mind. With the ewes now (hopefully) pregnant, regular checks are required. And supplementary feed may need to be provided whatever the day or weather. Some farmers with pedigree sheep will start lambing in very early January. So Christmas for them may be a time of preparation for indoor lambing and checking for any early arrivals; some of whom may require a vet to assist.

Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Whilst few and far between, farmers with deer (usually not of the red-nosed variety) face similar challenges to those with sheep, while most beef farms have cattle housed at this time of year. They’ll all still be busy on Christmas day; feeding animals and bedding sheds; checking on any livestock still outside and bringing feed to them in all conditions; checking calving cows throughout the day and night; and keeping a watchful eye for problems like pneumonia, which can sneak in more quietly but far less welcome than the big man himself. While turkey farmers may hope to be eating rather than feeding turkeys on Christmas Day, farmers with chickens and all types of poultry are still working, feeding, bedding and most likely defrosting frozen pipes, whilst very unlikely to need their vet.

Silent Night

“I hope your on call is ……” No! Don’t say it! Not the Q word (Quiet…no, shh, don’t even whisper it). Normally saying this phrase guarantees a vet will have more calls than ever before. But during the festive period being … well, let’s say not busy, can be as much a curse as a blessing. With many vets graduating in their early 20’s and facing the first Christmas where they can’t get home at all, spending three nights and two days alone, on-call, while the rest of your family (and it feels like the world) celebrate the “most wonderful time of the year” can be pretty isolating. I’d like to think that most practices recognise this and put some thought into supporting young vets at this time. But video calling your nearest and dearest on Christmas Day can still be as tough as it is enjoyable. 

Farmers may well be in the same boat although perhaps at a different stage in life

While many farms will have warm kitchens full of family coming home or already there for Christmas; loneliness and isolation are increasingly being recognised as significant issues within the agricultural community year-round. Farm staff numbers have fallen dramatically over the years and coupling the isolation of both old and young with the challenges of running a farm in the middle of winter, financial pressures and concerns over future planning can leave farmers in a vulnerable position especially at Christmas. 

Having seen this isolation and loneliness in both the veterinary profession and on farms, I’m very grateful to all those involved with charities such as Vetlife and the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI) or RSABI in Scotland. Mainly staffed by volunteers, they have confidential helplines open 24/7, every day of the year including at Christmas, providing emotional, financial and mental health support to anyone involved in the veterinary or agricultural communities respectively. Being a farm vet is being a part of both these amazing communities, who can rally support like no other but perhaps who also find it more difficult than most to reach out and ask for that help in the first place. 

Driving home for Christmas

I have been away from clinical farm practice for a few years. So I wondered if I had a rose-tinted view of life as a farm vet at Christmas. As I head back into practice this new year, it was with more than a little trepidation that I asked around other farm vets for a reality check on how others were feeling about the Christmas rota. Happily, what I heard back was much the same as my own experience; that despite being on-call we are often relatively quiet as farmers really will only phone on Christmas Day if absolutely necessary. 

If called we are usually welcomed with good cheer despite the circumstances that have led to us being there; along with much gratitude and offers of mince pies! Boxing Day can be fairly chaotic as we catch up on the less urgent cases, held off from the day before; but if you worked Christmas on call, you’ll likely have Hogmanay off which for those of us north of the border is almost as good.  

The compromise is family time

This is especially difficult to navigate with young children or with non-vet/non-farming family, who can’t always understand our commitment to work during a time when they may have several days or even weeks of sacrosanct holiday. It is tough not being there when the kids first wake in the morning or being called out just as the turkey is carved. But in this we are not alone as medics, nurses, police, fire services, prison staff, coastguard, mountain rescue, hospitality workers and many, many more will tell you. 

While those in retail may have the day itself off, you can’t go shopping in the boxing day sales if nobody is driving to deliver to the stores or working to fill the shelves. And if you are lucky enough to be Driving Home for Christmas, you’ll expect the roads to be cleared; petrol in the pumps; and the recovery services to be on the end of the phone if you needed them. Public transport options might be limited on Christmas day but as airline and train crews will tell you, there’s a demand on the days either side. And those involved in this line of work may not have enough time off to get home for Christmas; try as they might. 

Merry Christmas Everyone

So, whatever your Christmas looks like this year, please, take a moment to appreciate it. And to spare a thought not for farm vets but for our farmers. They are not working a shift. There is no rota, no clocking off, no carefree Hogmanay and no contracted pay at the end of each month. And whatever comes their way on Christmas Day, they’ll be getting up to do it all again on Boxing Day…and every day thereafter. Lives (animal and human) and livelihoods depend on them, as do our dinner tables at Christmas and every day beyond. 

So, here’s to the farmers. 

Slàinte!

Further reading